Berlin's first library is a baroque beauty commissioned by Frederick the Great to shelter the royal book collection. Completed in 1780, its design mimics the St Michael's Wing of the imperial palace in Vienna. It's commonly known as Kommode (chest of drawers) because of its curvaceous facade.

The building has been home to the Humboldt University's law school since 1910. Lenin used to hit the books here in 1895, as is commemorated by a glass window in the Reading Room created by Frank Glaser in 1968. Note that on Saturday and Sunday the entrance is at Unter den Linden 9.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Bebelplatz

0.04 MILES

The heart of a cultural centre envisioned by King Frederick the Great, austere Bebelplatz is infamous as the site of the first full-blown public book…

2. Reiterdenkmal Friedrich der Grosse

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Seemingly surveying his domain, Frederick the Great cuts a commanding figure on horseback in this famous 1850 monument that kept sculptor Christian Daniel…

3. Staatsoper Unter den Linden

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Berlin’s opulent state opera was commissioned as the royal opera house by Frederick the Great and designed by his friend and master architect Georg…

4. Deutsche Bank KunstHalle

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In this small, elegant exhibition hall, Deutsche Bank presents changing high-calibre exhibits of contemporary art, especially from emerging art centres in…

5. St Hedwigs-Kathedrale Berlin

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This copper-domed church (1773) was commissioned by Frederick the Great, designed by Knobelsdorff, modelled after the Pantheon in Rome and named for the…

6. Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

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Marx and Engels studied here, and the Brothers Grimm and Albert Einstein taught here: Humboldt is Berlin’s oldest university, founded in 1810 in a palace…

7. Französischer Dom

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The 1705 Französischer Dom was built by Huguenot refuges and consists of two buildings: the soaring domed tower and the attached Französische Kirche …

8. Palais Populaire

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Contemporary art, culture and sports activities are the focus of this gallery sponsored by Deutsche Bank and set within the updated rooms of a rococo…